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FSA Scoop...Signups and deadlines ahead

By Mary Karash

County Executive Director, Farm Service Agency, Grant, NE

Farm Program Sign-Up

Sign-up for the 2011 Direct and Counter Cyclical (DCP)/Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program began Oct. 1 and ends June 1, 2011. For those producers wanting to sign up now and receive advance payments, please call the FSA office at (308)352-4747 extension 2, for an appointment.

Crop Assistance Program Sign-Up

Sign-up for the 2009 Crop Assistance Program (CAP) began Oct. 25 and ends Dec. 9, 2010. Producers with eligible soybean acreage must certify to FSA that they suffered a five percent or greater loss in quantity or quality of the 2009 crop. This loss must be due to excessive moisture or related conditions..

Eligible producers may receive as much $15.62/acre. Payments will initially be disbursed at 75 percent of this rate. Additional final payments will be determined and issued once signup is complete to ensure the available funding of $550 million nationwide is not exceeded. A $100,000 payment limitation applies.

Producers with questions regarding the 2009 Crop Assistance Program should contact the FSA office prior to the Dec. 9, 2010 deadline.

Counter-Cyclical Payments

The 2009 final CC payment rates for corn, dry peas, grain sorghum, lentils, peanuts, soybeans, and upland cotton were announced in mid October.

Corn, dry peas, grain sorghum, lentils, and soybeans are not due a final payment because their effective price exceeds their respective target price.

CRP

CRP Signup 39 participants –NRCS has completed 90 percent of the field visits. They will be contacting you soon to develop the final conservation plans for the new CRP contracts.

MCM (Mid contract Management)–letters were mailed in October regarding MCM practices that need to be completed in 2011. Please check your mail and contact NRCS for coordinating the work that needs completed.

Acreage Reporting

We now have software to take wheat acreage reports. The software is a little slow, so we ask that you please schedule an appointment so we can better accommodate all producers. The deadline to report fall planted crops is June 30, 2011.

Livestock Disaster Program

With the winter months quickly approaching, our office would like to remind area livestock producers about the Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).

LIP provides monetary assistance to eligible livestock owners and livestock contract growers, for eligible livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality that occurred in the calendar year for which benefits are being requested as a direct result of an eligible adverse weather event, including losses because of hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold.

For 2010 and subsequent years losses, livestock owners and contract growers that suffer a loss of livestock shall file: a notice of loss the earlier of the following dates: 30 calendar days of when the loss of livestock is apparent to the participant or 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the loss of livestock occurred.

Owners must also file an application for payment no later than 30 calendar days after the end of the calendar year in which the loss of livestock occurred.

When an application for payment is submitted, participants must provide documentation of livestock deaths, including verifiable documentation for proof of death, and also verifiable evidence of livestock inventory.

Ownership and Operator Changes

Please notify the office as soon as possible when ownership or operator changes occur. We will need a copy of the deed to change ownership. A copy of a cash lease or owner’s signature is required on DCP/ACRE contracts.

Designation by Landowner Method-The designation by landowner method is the division of bases in the manner agreed to by the parent farm owner and purchaser or transferee.

The designation by landowner method may be used when any of the following apply: part of a farm is sold or ownership is transferred, an entire farm is sold to two or more persons, farm ownership is transferred to two or more persons, part of a tract is sold or ownership is transferred a tract is sold to two or more persons, tract ownership is transferred to two or more persons.